49ers players praying for Bills safety Damar Hamlin

Well after kickoff, I decided to check in on the Monday night game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. My youngest son, wanting to learn more about football, had trotted over and sat at my side on the couch. I figured just to see what was going on before dinner.

Not more than a minute later, tragedy struck. Bills safety Damar Hamlin had collapsed on the field after assisting on a tackle in the first quarter. Medical personnel on hand immediately attended to the fallen player. My son asked what was happening. I told him a player had been hurt.

I had no idea how serious the situation was.

The more time that passed, the severity of the situation became apparent. Medical personnel administered CPR on the Bills safety as players from both teams watched with sincere concern, many gathering together in prayer. It was a terrifying scenario that I tried to explain to my youngest son in the most basic way possible—Hamlin was hurt, and everyone was very worried about him.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Hamlin was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center via ambulance. The game between the Bills and Bengals was postponed.

Later, a glance at my inbox revealed an official statement from the NFL.

"Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics," the statement read. "He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition. Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available."

The San Francisco 49ers organization and its players offered up their own prayers for Hamlin. Their tweets are below.


Running back Christian McCaffrey went a step further, making a $1,000 donation to Hamlin's GoFundMe toy drive page after the incident (h/t Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area). Other 49ers teammates and NFL players, including quarterback Trey Lance, have joined in donating to the cause.